Teacher Selection in the Accountability Era of Public Education: A Study of Teacher Dispositions and Student Achievement

Ross, Sean M.

ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Capella University

As the reauthorization of NCLB looms on the horizon, many states have made the decision to re-evaluate the teacher role in the classroom as it relates to student achievement. The accountability era in public education has evolved over the last decade to encompass broad changes, some good, some questionable. In education it takes time determine the impact of the changes being implemented, but one of the more high profile changes that have occurred is the focus on how the individual teacher impacts their student's achievement. The purpose of this study was to answer some of the questions surrounding the connection of an individual teacher, or teachers, and student achievement determined by standardized assessments. The study focused on a high achieving, large suburban, K-12 school district in Central Ohio using elementary and secondary teachers hired within the previous five years. The study utilized an entry interview score as the independent variable, which was determined prior to the teacher being hired, and compared the highest interview scores to student achievement in math and reading. The teacher interview score measures individual characteristics, also known as dispositions, to help predict the probability of successful teaching. This study used a nonexperimental correlation analysis to determine the relationship between the independent variable of teacher dispositional interview scores compared to two-years of student achievement data in math and reading using state assessments. The study determined that for both elementary and secondary teachers that a positive correlation between the two variables did not exist. Further research would be necessary surrounding the elusive nature of student achievement and the impact an individual teacher has, especially as more states implemented thresholds for teacher accountability for evaluation purposes. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]